Analysis Of Crooks In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

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The Negro Crooks

In the novel “Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck, the character Crooks is the Negro stable buck in the story. The character Crooks grew up on a chicken farm owned by his father where he had gotten to play with all the white kids and his brothers. As an adult he learns about prejudice and segregation when he is forced to live on his own in the barn because he is a black. Crooks expressed his anger when he said, " I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse.” Although Crooks is angry he pretends that he is happy to be by himself but really he is not happy to be alone. During his conversation with Lennie Crooks reveals his loneliness on the ranch by saying, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.”. Crooks is also intelligent because
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Crooks is also a proud man and he shows his pride when when he defends himself , Lennie , and Candy against Curley’s wife, but she lashed out at him by using racial slurs. Later on he decides that he does not want to go to the ranch after Curley’s wife threatened to have him lynched. He said, “I don’t wanna go to no place like that. I’d never wanna go to a place like that.” Crooks is important to the novel because he shows the readers how racism is use on the ranch like how he must live away from other workers an, also how he is not allowed in the bunkhouse. Crooks’ relationship with other characters is important to the novel because it helps us learn more about the other characters. Crooks’ relationship with Lennie shows us how much Lennie relies on George. For example when Crook’s says ‘S’pose George don’t come back no more’’. Crooks’ relationship with Lennie also helps to reveal Crooks loneliness when he said “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets